TV crew, Serbs targeted in Croatia

Incidents were reported as fans of a controversial Croat singer gathered on Thursday to celebrate the anniversary of Operation Storm. A group of Marko Perkovic aka Thompson fans, gathered in his native village of Cavoglava, threw stones at a Croatian national television HRT crew, who escaped without injuries. TV crew, Serbs targeted in Croatia The reporters were subjected to almost an hour and a half of death threats and insults, that culminated in the stoning incident. Perkovic and his following are often linked with the pro-Ustasha ideology. Ustashas were the forces of the pro-Nazi WW2 Independent State of Croatia (NDH), who conducted mass killings of Serbs, Jews and Romas. When the HRT reporter and cameraman tried to film the celebrations yesterday, that included people wearing Ustasha caps and drinking brandy with images of NDH leader Ante Pavelic on the labels, they were attacked. The crowd, said to have been 60,000 people strong, sang Ustasha songs, and Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic was among those seen in Cavoglave on the Operation Storm anniversary. Police in the nearby town of Zadar who last night showed up to "rescue" the HRT crew, said this morning that they did not see any persons wearing Ustasha uniforms or insignia, and for that reason did not detain anyone. Local ethnic Serbs were also targeted in a separate incident, when Croat war veterans confronted them in the village of Donja Suvaja, also near Zadar. Deputy Gracac municipal chief Milan Tankosic said that the Croat veterans threatened the Serbs by shouting, "Kill Chetniks", "We will cut your throats again", and, "Go to Serbia, this is Croatia". Police quickly intervened at the scene, said Tanaskovic. Eyewitnesses said that the attackers arrived in a convoy of some 20 vehicles, and that they attacked the Serbs, who are returnees, physically and verbally.

TV crew, Serbs targeted in Croatia

The reporters were subjected to almost an hour and a half of death threats and insults, that culminated in the stoning incident.

Perković and his following are often linked with the pro-Ustasha ideology. Ustashas were the forces of the pro-Nazi WW2 Independent State of Croatia (NDH), who conducted mass killings of Serbs, Jews and Romas.

When the HRT reporter and cameraman tried to film the celebrations yesterday, that included people wearing Ustasha caps and drinking brandy with images of NDH leader Ante Pavelić on the labels, they were attacked.

The crowd, said to have been 60,000 people strong, sang Ustasha songs, and Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić was among those seen in Čavoglave on the Operation Storm anniversary.

Police in the nearby town of Zadar who last night showed up to "rescue" the HRT crew, said this morning that they did not see any persons wearing Ustasha uniforms or insignia, and for that reason did not detain anyone.

Local ethnic Serbs were also targeted in a separate incident, when Croat war veterans confronted them in the village of Donja Suvaja, also near Zadar.

Deputy Gračac municipal chief Milan Tankosić said that the Croat veterans threatened the Serbs by shouting, "Kill Chetniks", "We will cut your throats again", and, "Go to Serbia, this is Croatia".

Police quickly intervened at the scene, said Tanasković.

Eyewitnesses said that the attackers arrived in a convoy of some 20 vehicles, and that they attacked the Serbs, who are returnees, physically and verbally.